By
way of an addendum to my
post yesterday, it’s worth noting that both Graham Brady and Bernard Jenkin
have today suggested that the Coalition breaks up next year. Speaking to the
Sunday Telegraph, Brady says:

“It makes sense to plan an exit well in advance of a 2015
election. We need to convey a clear, separate identity and a separate set of
aspirations from the Liberal Democrats.

You can’t get those messages across in three weeks or even
three months. You need a sustained period of time to ensure voters are
comfortable with what you are saying — at least six months.”

And from the same report:

“Mr Jenkin, a senior backbencher, said he supported calls
for the Coalition to be scrapped next year.

‘In the end, actions speak louder than words,’ he said. ‘Unless
we are campaigning for a coalition after the election we had better show that
we mean what we say and that we want to stand as a separate party and stand for
separate things.’”

A few anonymous “senior Consevatives”
also offer their views, from claiming that a split would suit both parties, to
urging against one. We’re probably entering a season in which such arguments
will be aired more loudly and more frequently.

The thing is, David Cameron isn’t playing
along. Although he stressed in his Marr interview
earlier that he’s aiming to lead a Conservative majority government after
the next election, he was also careful to add “I’m not going to speculate about
anything else,” and praise the work of the current Coalition. He knows that he
may have to rely on the Lib Dems again, after 2015.